Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
It’s been a while since we last discussed bilateral matters substantively. While we have met on the sidelines of various events, we haven’t had the opportunity to look into nearly all bilateral issues in such great detail. I’m glad we were able to bridge that gap today.
I would like to particularly emphasise the fact that these talks held as agreed by the respective leaders of Russia and Armenia were particularly fulfilling and productive. They built upon the ideas discussed during contacts between President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
We had a candid discussion covering nearly the full scope of our relations, as well as regional and international issues. We managed to reach mutually acceptable solutions with regard to a number of issues.
Regular dialogue at the top level between our countries continues unabated. The President of Russia and the Prime Minister of Armenia have met many times, including last autumn and this winter. On January 17, they held a telephone conversation.
Ararat Mirzoyan and I share the view that this kind of trust-based communication between our leaders sets the tone for further development of cooperation between our two countries, including at the level of our respective foreign ministries.
We reaffirmed our commitment to the entire range of agreements with Yerevan, including in the military-political sphere. These agreements exist both on a bilateral level and within the framework of integration associations.
We don’t want our relations to be adversely affected by out-of-the-region players who have no interest in seeing the Russian-Armenian alliance strengthen.
We look forward to seeing the entire array of mutually beneficial bilateral ties which it took many years to cultivate put to good use, and we will continue to cooperate in a mutually beneficial manner across all of the above – military-political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian – areas.
Our bilateral mechanisms are operating smoothly. In late 2024, we held the 38th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission for Cooperation between the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the National Assembly (Parliament) of the Republic of Armenia and the 23rd meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia.
We are preparing for a visit of Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko to Armenia. We hope to be able to hold the 10th Russian-Armenian Interregional Forum at the same time, which we discussed today.
It is necessary to build up interaction between out ministries. I will certainly take the invitation to visit Yerevan, which Ararat Mirzoyan has reaffirmed today. We will also resume and maintain a regular dialogue between our deputy ministers. We have agreed to prepare the next two-year plan of consultations between our foreign policy departments soon.
We talked about the possibility of expanding our mutual presence at the level of consultations, in particular, Russia’s presence in the Syunik Region of Armenia. It is a strategically important region. We believe that expanding our diplomatic missions and increasing their number will meet the interests of both countries.
We have made specific mention of the record-high growth of our trade, which is expected to reach and possibly even exceed $12 billion in 2024, or $1 billion per month. It is a really good pace.
Russia remains the key foreign trade and investment partner for Armenia. Russian companies keep the lead in the amount of taxes paid to the republican budget and are among the largest employers. We know and see that Russian business is interested in a continued build-up of its operations in the Armenian market. We appreciate the Armenian leaders’ attitude to our businesspeople.
We also discussed our cooperation within the Eurasian Economic Union, which continues to play a largely positive role in attaining the results in mutual trade I have mentioned. Statistics show that the EAEU has become a pillar of socioeconomic development in both Russia and Armenia and a factor of sustainable growth of our economies in what is now described as a turbulent international situation.
We appreciate the results of Armenia’s successful chairmanship of EAEU bodies in 2024. We also talked about practical interaction within other associations where Russia and Armenia are members, as well as about the importance of the South Caucasus for fulfilling the task of strengthening security on the Eurasian continent.
Traditionally, the cultural and humanitarian dimension of our relations remains highly popular with our citizens. We discussed plans to prepare for celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. I would like to note once again that we will be happy to see the leadership of Armenia during the May celebrations in Moscow at the invitation of President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
We noted the need to preserve historical truth and memory of glorious pages of our common history. We discussed the status of the Russian language and education in Armenia and in the CIS region. We noted with satisfaction the signing, in December 2024, of intergovernmental agreements on the work of Russian-Armenian University and an academic and sport facility of Gazprom Armenia.
We talked about our plans to build a school for the Russian Embassy in Yerevan. We are mutually interested in resuming the Days of Armenian Culture in Russia (that the people of Russia like so much) as soon as possible. I believe that we will be able to coordinate a mutually acceptable date throughout 2025.
We discussed our collaboration at international platforms. We voice either coinciding or similar approaches to most issues, including those on which we closely cooperate, while coordinating our actions. This includes the protection of our traditional spiritual and moral values, efforts to combat the glorification of Nazism, the preservation of historical memory, upholding human rights, cutting-edge technologies, including space exploration, enhancing the arms control system, and many others. We traditionally support the candidacies of our countries’ representatives during elections at international organisations.
We discussed regional affairs, including issues of normalising Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. We reaffirmed our invariable readiness to assist Yerevan and Baku (in case they are interested) in all aspects of this normalisation, including assistance in drafting the provisions of a peace treaty, the delimitation and demarcation of borders, unblocking transport routes, as well as cultural and humanitarian issues.
We have reaffirmed our further interest in the 3+3 regional consultative format, which includes the three countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and their three neighbours (Russia, Iran and Türkiye). We consider this platform to be very promising.
In general, I think that we have had a useful discussion today, and I am sure that this exchange of views will contribute to the settlement of certain recent issues in our relations. Some of them caused disproportionate reactions in the media, and we exchanged our candid and honest assessments on this today as well. Both sides are in favour of expanding ties for the benefit of the fundamental, practical interests of the Russian and Armenian people, and want bilateral relations to be resistant to any momentary influence.
Question: You often note that Russia is making efforts to promote peace and stability in the South Caucasus; you mentioned this in today’s remarks as well. However, Russia’s stance is often in accord with Azerbaijan’s approaches, in both official and media rhetoric. Sometimes they even coincide. How can stability be promoted in this situation?
Sergey Lavrov: I do not quite see what makes you think that Russia’s and Azerbaijan’s respective stances coincide, in the context of the reasons for our problems in relations with Armenia. From your question, you seem to have the impression that Russia is taking sides on the South Caucasus agenda and ways to normalise Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. This is not true.
We are addressing issues that we view as critical, pertaining to the normalisation of relations between Yerevan and Baku. We are deeply interested in our brothers living in peace as good neighbours.
We have strategic partnerships and allied relationships with Armenia as well as with Azerbaijan. We have a vested interest in [a normalisation], unlike certain countries located far away from the South Caucasus that promote a completely different agenda aimed at maintaining tension here as long as possible, expecting to use it to promote their geostrategic interests more effectively.
Russia is guided by the trilateral agreements reached by our leaders in 2020-2022, with the consent of both Yerevan and Baku. A whole series (1,2,3,4) of trilateral agreements has been concluded on the general normalisation, the peace treaty, unblocking of economic and transport ties in the region, and the delimitation and demarcation of the borders in the future. Our involvement in these processes exactly aligns with the extent that our participation is required by Yerevan and Baku. No more and no less.
Question: At the news conference regarding the outcomes of 2024, you described relations with Armenia as difficult. However, three years ago, the situation was notably different. Could you elucidate on why these relations have become more complex and under what circumstances, in your view, might it be feasible to restore the dialogue with Yerevan to its previous state?
Sergey Lavrov: I am not aware of any country with which I would describe our relations as simple. Consider this: having simple relations with country ‘X’ is an implausible notion. In any relationship, there are matters that require resolution. The closer nations and their peoples are, the richer their interaction across all spheres – be it political, security, economic, humanitarian, or cultural. And with richer relations, more activities are organised, which leads to more practical issues emerging.
Moreover, there are political matters that certain factions have deliberately exacerbated within our relations. President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have addressed this during their meetings over the past few months, which included two meetings and a telephone conversation.
Today, Ararat Mirzoyan and I agreed that going forward, as in our previous meetings, we will candidly and honestly express any concerns that arise between Armenia and Russia. We will endeavour to ensure that the media space is not exploited by those ill-wishers aiming to transform our normal working relations into strained ones.
Once again, I will reiterate our complete understanding of the necessity for open and honest dialogue. Our leaders exemplify this approach. I am convinced it is the correct path to take, and I believe my colleague and comrade Ararat Mirzoyan concurs with this sentiment.
Question: How would you comment on US President Donald Trump’s initial statements on foreign policy – ranging from the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organisation to the intention to impose tariffs on BRICS countries and renaming the Gulf of Mexico? Marco Rubio has recently been appointed as the US Secretary of State. Is it conceivable to anticipate a resumption of contacts between Moscow and Washington?
Sergey Lavrov: I can offer a commentary on the decisions announced by President Trump. Numerous political analysts are addressing these matters. In brief, it is evident that this signals the methods by which President Trump and his administration aim to advance the interests of the United States on the global stage.
The interests of the United States have remained unchanged, irrespective of whether Democrats or Republicans occupy the White House. The goal has always been to maintain supremacy over any competitor. The previous administration operated with the same objective. President Donald Trump has demonstrated the methods he intends to use to achieve this goal.
We respect the choice of the American people. As I understand it, the US leadership under President Trump has also repeatedly indicated that they respect the choices made by the Russian people.
Regarding contacts, President Vladimir Putin, when addressing this question, responded positively. Subsequently, President Trump also indicated his intention to engage with the President of the Russian Federation in the near future. The answer has long been known.